


river through an open door

by callunavulgari



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Kissing, M/M, POV Second Person, Reincarnation, Rescue, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-19
Updated: 2013-08-19
Packaged: 2017-12-23 23:36:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/932422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callunavulgari/pseuds/callunavulgari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You know who he is the same way that you know the feel of the sky and earth around you, the way magic sparks along the bark of a thousand year old oak. You know him, bone deep and earth-shattering, and inside your chest, your heart begins to beat again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	river through an open door

**Author's Note:**

> For a kissing meme; jawline AND underwater kiss because I'm crafty like that.

You know who he is the same way that you know the feel of the sky and earth around you, the way magic sparks along the bark of a thousand year old oak. You know him, bone deep and earth-shattering, and inside your chest, your heart begins to beat again.  
  
He does not know you. He looks over you, blue eyes skittering nervously around the empty street, and passes you over, because what is another old homeless man going to do?  
  
He watches the water flow—dark, murky, and churning. Everything is dark these days for all that there are streetlamps on every corner. You can't remember the last time you saw a bit of nature untouched by pollution. He shivers, digging his hands deeper into his pockets, and for the first time since you set eyes on him, you wonder: why is he here?  
  
He shifts about, forever restless, and the familiarity of the gesture sets a smile on your face.  
  
You watch him and wonder how you should reveal yourself; if you even should. Already your magic is thawing your illusion, the wrinkles and grey hair melting away like spring snow on the ground. Your chest does not feel quite so tight, your back no longer aches, and you—you are young again for the first time in centuries.  
  
And then he falls.  
  
He tumbles into the river and you don't even think, you launch yourself forward and into the water after him.  
  
The water is cold. You cannot see what is before you, so you let your magic guide you to him, let it gently carry you to where you belong. You find an arm quickly enough—a shoulder, a face. You let your lips drag across his, push magic and air and life into his mouth. You allow yourself another gentle kiss to his jawline, an affectionate gesture you would surely deny yourself if the brightness of him wasn't affecting you so.  
  
Carefully, you pull him to the surface, paddling the both of you over to the bank where you can listen to him splutter and cough.  
  
"Where the hell did you come from?" he demands blearily after a moment, still coughing. "I thought—" He cuts himself off, glancing around him. Surely he notices the absence of the homeless man further upstream, but he says nothing of it.  
  
"You weren't alone," you say quietly, smiling at him the way you used to. You want to say more—that he'll never be alone again, if you can help it. That you'll always be with him. That you always were. You choke back the words, knowing that they won't be received very well.  
  
He looks at you, blue eyes troubled, and you finally realize that the fall wasn't unintentional. You bite back more words—familiar demands that you would have made in another life: Who tries to kill themselves in a river this shallow, Arthur, seriously?  
  
"You aren't alone," you breathe again, suddenly desperate.  
  
He stares at you and after a very long moment, he quirks a smile. "I suppose I should buy a coffee for my rescuer then, shouldn't I, mate?"


End file.
